Today's Marketing Pulse
McKinsey predicts agentic AI will power two‑thirds of marketing activities
McKinsey’s new report forecasts that agentic AI could drive up to two‑thirds of all marketing functions, shifting AI from a productivity add‑on to a core strategic engine. The analysis notes early adopters are using generative tools, while the next wave will involve autonomous agents that orchestrate decisions across workflows, guided by a five‑step implementation roadmap.
The World Cup Is Set to Lift Demand for Digital Out-of-Home Spending
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is igniting a surge in digital out‑of‑home (DOOH) advertising as brands like Hyundai, Coca‑Cola and Unilever line up stadium, airport and fan‑zone placements. eMarketer projects U.S. out‑of‑home spend at $11.28 billion, with 42.3% allocated to digital screens and a 6.2% year‑over‑year increase driven by the tournament. Inventory is rapidly filling, exemplified by 95% of Los Angeles fan‑zone assets already sold, while smaller advertisers view DOOH as a cost‑effective alternative to premium TV. The momentum is expected to spill over into the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Why Mondelez Is Hiring a Global Lead to Solve for AI-Driven Shopping Bots
Mondelez International is creating a global lead role to shape its emerging agentic commerce strategy, targeting AI‑driven shopping bots that could handle a sizable share of online traffic. Retail partners expect 30% of site visits to come from such bots...
AI, Brand Safety’s Frenemy | Behind the Numbers (Video)
The latest eMarketer podcast examines how AI-generated content—often dubbed "AI slop"—is surfacing on YouTube and creating new brand‑safety challenges. Hosts discuss both the promise of machine‑learning tools that can flag unsafe placements and the pitfalls when algorithms misclassify or amplify...
From Page Views to Propensity: How the Daily Mail Is Retooling for a Zero-Click World
Daily Mail is shifting from page‑view focus to engagement‑centric metrics as zero‑click search erodes referral traffic. Monthly visitors dropped 17% YoY to 218 million, with 60% now direct, prompting the rollout of an AI‑powered dynamic paywall and a push to grow...
Sam’s Club Hires ‘Experts’ to Make Video Reviews for Product Pages
Sam’s Club is rolling out a new "expert review" video feature on product pages, hiring niche specialists—such as chefs, tech gurus, or health professionals—to create short, brand‑specific videos. The initiative, announced on April 16 as part of the Member Access Platform,...
Supplement Brand Staje Launches with Brand Strategy and Voice Identity via Willow & Blake
Staje, a new supplement brand for women, launched with a line of stage‑specific multivitamins that pair clinically proven ingredients with beadlet capsule technology. The brand partnered with Australian agency Willow & Blake to develop a theatrical brand voice and positioning...
Teams
The article reframes business performance around the concept of interconnected "Teams"—human groups, product categories, and marketing channels—that collectively drive customer outcomes. It argues that traditional metrics like digital advertising ROAS fail to capture the value added by these teams, especially...
Kulturhaus Blends Traditional Bavarian Beer Culture With The Relaxed Nature Of The California Coast
Kulturhaus, a California‑based brewery, is unveiling a new visual identity that blends classic Bavarian beer culture with the relaxed vibe of the West Coast. Designed by the agency Play, the brand adopts mid‑century typography and a limited‑color palette across illustrated...
ACM Research Introduces ACM Planetary Family™ Product Portfolio Structure
ACM Research has rebranded its expanding suite of semiconductor equipment into the ACM Planetary Family, a process‑based structure that groups eight product series under planetary names. The new layout aligns each series with a core step in wafer fabrication, from...
True5G + Accenture Song Thailand Explore ‘Unsaid Love’ in True Love True Connection Campaign
True5G has teamed up with Accenture Song Thailand to launch the “True Love True Connection” campaign, positioning its 5G network as a conduit for deeper human emotion rather than just speed. The centerpiece is a film that asks viewers when they...
Silence Is a Climate Risk – Brands Urged to Trumpet Sustainability Progress by ‘Greenshouting’
A new "greenshouting" communications guide, launched by Creatives for Climate and B Lab, urges brands to break the silence around sustainability and replace the emerging trend of "greenhushing" with open, accurate storytelling. The guide outlines four practical "dials"—simplicity, abundance, culture...
Kobe’s AI Platform and Visa/Mastercard Agents Redefine Brazil’s Retail Experience
Kobe unveiled Nodo, an AI‑driven platform that personalizes e‑commerce and app experiences in real time, while Visa and Mastercard completed the first autonomous AI‑agent purchases in Brazil. The moves illustrate how retailers and payment networks are racing to embed intelligent...
Digital Ad Spending Falls 1% in November, Marking First Industry‑Wide Decline
Digital ad spending slipped 1% in November, the first year‑over‑year drop since the mid‑1990s, according to Standard Media Index data. The decline was partially offset by a 7% rise in digital video, while linear TV ad spend plunged 12%, reshaping...
Westfield Goes Nostalgic With Mother’s Day Campaign Via AKQA
The episode breaks down Westfield's new Mother’s Day campaign created with agency AKQA, highlighting its nostalgic storytelling and playful, DIY-inspired visuals. It examines how the campaign taps into relatable family moments—like school dress‑up days and last‑minute crafting—to emotionally connect with...
Fluency Hires RTB Veteran Eric Picard as SVP of Product After $40M Series A
Fluency announced on April 16, 2026 that Eric Picard, a real‑time bidding pioneer, will serve as senior vice president of product. The hire follows a $40 million Series A led by Integrity Growth Partners and underscores Fluency’s push to scale its...
Repeat Key Elements to Instantly Capture Viewer Attention
One of the most effective psychological tools you can use is familiarity to grab someone’s attention Here’s how you’re going to do: You’re going to find 2-3 aspects within your content that you can repeat over and over again… That could mean the...
Legora Calls on Jude Law to Make Legal AI Look Good
Legora, the legal‑AI platform, has launched a new advertising campaign starring actor Jude Law to make its technology feel more compelling. Created by Swedish agency NoA Åkestam Holst, the hero film and supporting spots appear on out‑of‑home screens in London, New York, Los Angeles and...
Microsoft Ads Adds Google Performance Max NCA Goals, Shifting B2B Paid‑Media Playbook
Microsoft Advertising announced that its platform can now import Google Ads Performance Max campaigns that use new‑customer acquisition (NCA) goals. The change removes a key barrier for B2B teams seeking to extend prospecting strategies beyond Google without rebuilding acquisition logic...
TRP Wins Butter Brand Lard Ass, Launches New Campaign
Australian premium butter maker Lard Ass has appointed independent agency TRP as its creative agency of record, launching the brand’s first major advertising campaign. The campaign, rolling out across out‑of‑home and social channels, spotlights the brand’s hand‑crafted, cultured butter and its...
Former Stan CMO Joins Gifting Platform Prezzee As Global CMO
Prezzee, the digital gifting and payment platform, has hired Diana Ilinkovski as its global chief marketing officer. Ilinkovski, who helped launch and scale streaming service Stan into Australia’s leading subscription brand, will steer a unified global marketing strategy that leverages...
Claude Design Accelerates Prototyping, Boosts Business Metrics
Claude Design is LEGIT when it comes to prototyping or redesigning. On the left, it pulled one of our Github repos and made a coherent agent manager - something I'd actually use. On the right, it gave a first draft of a...
You Can't Lead and Follow at Once
winning isn't for everyone. this ad isn't for everyone. when everyone zigs and you zag but then the internet tells you to zig - don't listen. because you can't lead and follow at the same time. c'mon nike https://t.co/8Erz7BIDIZ
TaoKaeNoi Taps Chinese Celebrity Star Power to Boost Seaweed Snack Growth
TaoKaeNoi, the Taiwanese seaweed snack brand, has signed Chinese celebrity Chen Zheyuan to accelerate its evolution into a global lifestyle brand. The partnership combines hyper‑localisation of product flavors for Chinese tastes with cultural synergy through a star whose image matches...
TikTok Shops Lean on Fake Discounts for Bottom‑F
How much of TikTok Shops performance is just capturing the bottom of the bottom of the funnel with fake discounts? https://t.co/Nt1HqKxfgL
Podcast Guest Booking Agency: What It Is And When To Hire
Podcast guest booking agencies manage the end‑to‑end process of securing executive appearances on relevant shows, handling research, outreach, scheduling, and pre‑interview preparation. They enable brands to tap into highly engaged B2B audiences without diverting senior leaders from core responsibilities. Pricing...
Ad Spend Volatile: Saturday Low, Today Under‑Paced
Pretty volatile weekend in ads land across my book of business. Seems like Saturday paced way lower than usual for a Saturday and today is under-pacing too.
Google and Shopify Launch Universal Commerce Protocol, Redefining E‑commerce Journeys
Google and Shopify introduced the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) at the NRF event, creating a single conversational transaction flow managed by AI agents. The new standard collapses traditional discovery, cart and checkout steps, forcing marketers to rethink funnel metrics and...
Zillow Deploys AI Tools to Boost Listings as US Housing Market Slows
Zillow Group rolled out AI-driven listing descriptions, instant photo editing and refined price estimates to spur new inventory while the US housing market grapples with 30‑year mortgage rates above 6%. The upgrades target sellers, agents and renters, promising faster searches...
Axtria Acquires Conexus Solutions to Add AI‑Powered CRM for Life‑Sciences Companies
Axtria announced the acquisition of Conexus Solutions, a Veeva and Salesforce‑focused CRM transformation partner, to embed end‑to‑end CRM capabilities into its AI‑first data analytics suite for life‑sciences firms. While the financial terms were not disclosed, the deal is positioned as...
Fortidia's VP of Marketing Stephanie Johnson Drives Growth Across 450 Franchise Sites
Stephanie Johnson, vice president of marketing at Fortidia U.S., is steering enterprise marketing for three franchise brands—AlphaGraphics, PostNet and World Options—across more than 450 locations. Her focus on integrated strategy, digital commerce and team culture has delivered measurable revenue growth...
Social Influence: The Sole Lead Generation Driver in 2026
The 2026 Reality Check: Why Social Influence is the Only Lead Gen That Matters by @Timothy_Hughes https://t.co/PsZtzMt7s4 @DLAIgnite #SocialSelling #DigitalSelling #Sales #SalesTips #SalesLeader #Salesforce #Marketing #Leadership #MarketingStrategy #MarketingSuccess https://t.co/vKkdbvMxen
MrBeast Searches for CMO to Build a ‘Serious Commercial Machine’
Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast, is expanding Beast Industries beyond YouTube by launching a global search for a chief marketing officer. The new CMO will steer a rapidly diversifying portfolio that includes entertainment releases, snack brands, toys, telecom services, and...
Yassir Launches North Africa’s First Retail Media Network, Tapping 10 Million Users
Algeria’s Yassir has announced the rollout of North Africa’s first retail media network, leveraging data from 10 million users across rides, delivery, payments and physical stores. The platform, built after acquiring Paris‑based ad‑tech firm Kawarizmi and hypermarket chain UNO, aims at...
Taboola Publishes 2026 Content Marketing Benchmark Report
Taboola released a 2026 Content Marketing Statistics report that compiles industry benchmarks on AI adoption, video usage, and ROI. The data highlights declining click‑through rates, shorter attention spans, and a shift toward quality‑over‑quantity, giving marketers fresh metrics for budget justification...
ALDI Turns ‘Smart Shopping’ Into a National Game with ALDI IQ Push
ALDI Australia has unveiled ALDI IQ, a national, social‑first campaign that turns grocery shopping into an interactive quiz. Developed by agency Bastion, the ALDI IQ Test scores shoppers from ‘Apprentice’ to ‘Genius’, reinforcing the retailer’s value‑focused brand promise. The 10‑week...
Authority Builds Trust, Trust Drives Revenue
Authority shortens the distance between attention and trust. Trust shortens the distance between audience and revenue.
Disney+ Sets Date for Ad-Supported Tier Launch in AUNZ
Disney+ will roll out an ad‑supported "Standard with Ads" tier in Australia and New Zealand on Tuesday, priced at $9.99 AUD (about $6.60 USD) per month. The new plan delivers full‑HD video, two simultaneous streams and no download capability, sitting alongside the existing...
Making It Rain: Scroll Media Lands AccuWeather Exclusivity
Scroll Media has secured an exclusive agreement to represent AccuWeather’s premium advertising inventory across Australia and New Zealand. The deal enables advertisers to launch hyper‑local, weather‑triggered campaigns that sync brand messages with real‑time forecast data. AccuWeather now reaches over two...
TIKTOK INTRODUCING TRAVEL ADS AND THE NEW WAY OF PLANNING
TikTok has launched a dedicated Travel Ads format that embeds swipe‑able, behavior‑driven offers directly into short‑form videos. The platform’s own research shows 70% of users book a trip after seeing travel content, with 52% finalizing bookings within a week. Smart+...
Fandom Marketing = Co-Creation with True Fans.
Fandom-first marketing is emerging as a co‑creation strategy that engages true fans rather than relying solely on insider jokes. Recent examples include Old Navy’s designer partnership, Kylie Jenner’s Coachella‑driven hype for her Khy line, and Ulta Beauty’s new media collaboration....
Posting on Notes Every Day and Still Not Growing? Last Chance to Fix That This Weekend.
The author promotes a paid Notes Growth Workshop that teaches Substack writers a repeatable system for turning daily X Notes into subscriber growth. By following the framework, the author claims to have added more than 600 new subscribers in a...
Threads Will Add Broadcast Channels-Style Feature Called Live Chats
Meta's Threads announced a new "live chats" feature, a read‑only, one‑to‑many conversation stream similar to Instagram's Broadcast Channels. The tool lets creators add a few collaborators who can post, while followers subscribe and watch without replying. Announced at Coachella by...
Run up a Spiral Car Park? On Turns Cities Into Playgrounds
Swiss sportswear brand On has launched the “On Squad Race,” a global relay series that will visit ten major cities before a world final in Los Angeles. The events use a spiraling car‑park course called “The Spiral,” featuring 40‑60 local squads...
Carsales Follows Customers Into AI Chat Apps
Carsales has launched an app inside ChatGPT that surfaces vehicle listings, prices and highlights directly within the AI chat. The move targets high‑intent shoppers, a segment that research shows 35% of car buyers now use AI tools such as ChatGPT...
Digital.Marketing Unveils Report on Merging Commerce and Marketing Strategies
Digital.Marketing released a research report that argues marketing has become the primary engine of digital commerce. The study calls for a unified, data‑driven framework that aligns SEO, paid media and content across the buyer journey.
BigBasket Hires Ex-Google Pay Exec Arpit Jaiswal as Chief Growth Officer to Drive Expansion
Tata-owned online grocery platform BigBasket has appointed Arpit Jaiswal, former Head of Growth at Google Pay, as its new Chief Growth Officer. Jaiswal will steer the retailer’s push for profitable growth, deeper category leadership and AI‑driven user acquisition. The hire...
Consistency Means Conviction, Not Daily Posting
Consistency doesn't mean posting every day. It means showing up with the same point of view every time. The accounts that built real audiences aren't the ones who never missed a day. They're the ones you could predict. You know what they stand for...
Marketing Now Demands Research, Distribution, and Optimization
The game of marketing has changed. Smart brands aren’t just creating. They’re research, distributing and optimizing their content to drive better scale & outcomes. https://t.co/cIKg8Exo3w
What Is Content Strategy?
Content strategy is the systematic planning that governs the entire content lifecycle, ensuring purpose, audience, structure, placement, and ongoing accuracy. The post argues that without a solid strategy, content becomes fragmented, leading to user confusion and AI misinterpretation. It highlights...
Businesses Overinvest in Email Marketing Amid Poor ROI
Many businesses continue investing in email marketing despite weak ROI tracking, poor deliverability, and limited AI use beyond basic content generation. https://t.co/vcqX0xCdeq